Proliferation

Much has been written about government plans to privatise Royal Mail in the biggest such deal since the railways were sold in the 1990s.

Yet, another large state asset has moved on to the auction block, with much less fanfare. The low-key plans to sell Britain's one-third stake in Urenco, the uranium enrichment company, for up to £3bn, in part reflects the sensitivity of its activities.

"We know that such plans were made in Vietnam, very daring and far-reaching plans. We hope that Russia will be among those who will work with Vietnam in this hi-tech area and continue the traditions of our cooperation," Denisov said in an interview to the ITAR-TASS news agency.

For decades nuclear power has been slated as being environmentally harmful. But with climate change emerging as the world's top environmental problem, the nuclear industry is now starting to enjoy a reputation as a green power provider, capable of producing huge amounts of energy with little or no carbon emissions. As a result, the industry is gaining renewed support. In the United States, both presidential candidates view nuclear power as part of the future energy mix. The US government isn't alone in its support for an expansion of nuclear facilities. Japan announced in August that it would spend $4 billion on green technology, including nuclear plants.

STUTTGART, Germany: A German engineer has acknowledged that he helped procure parts for a centrifuge system that authorities say was meant for Libya's now-abandoned nuclear weapons program, a court said Thursday.

Gotthard Lerch went on trial in June, accused of supplying Libya with sensitive technology in the knowledge that the country was seeking atomic weapons. Prosecutors have accused him of playing a key role in the network led by Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Melbourne, Sept 19 (PTI) Fearing that Russia may use the uranium from Australia for its nuclear weapons program, Federal Parliament's Treaties Committee today advised the government to delay ratifying the treaty with the nation.
Australia is expected to review a report by the committee which advised against uranium sale to Russia before its makes a final decision on the matter.

The Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, located 9 miles from Belgrade, is Yugoslavia's oldest nuclear research institute. Established in 1948 as the Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, its efforts supposedly included an attempt to build a Yugoslav nuclear bomb. For almost 45 years, it collected Yugoslavia's and Serbia's radioactive waste.

As Turkey prepares to build its first nuclear power plant, the Turkish Atomic Energy Agency, or TAEK, has introduced new safety measures to protect people and the environment from nuclear radiation.

Besides safety measures against radiation, accidents and their harmful impact, close supervision and sanctions fall within the scope of the draft, titled the 'Nuclear Safety Draft Regulation'. The new law would revoke licenses of companies that fail to comply with appropriate safety measures.